Troy is a fat kid. Ignored at school, ridiculed by his younger, more athletic brother, pitied by his ex-marine father, he has decided to end it all by stepping in front of a bus. He is just about to do it when he is knocked out of harm’s way by a force of nature named Marcus.

Thus begins an unlikely partnership between nerdy, introverted Troy and semi-homeless, drug-addicted, punk rock genius Marcus. Marcus recruits Troy as the drummer in his new band, and for a second, it looks like things might be looking up for Troy. There are only a couple of problems. Troy doesn’t know how to play the drums, and Marcus doesn’t know how to stay off the pills for long enough to be the friend that Troy so desperately needs.

In 1998 Matthew Lillard played Stevo in SLC Punk, a role that encapsulated the ferocious spirit and pitfalls of the punk lifestyle. That film was a defining one for a generation teetering into adulthood at the edge of the millennium. Now, with Fat Kid Rules the World, his directorial debut, Lillard has created another generation defining film. Performed with savage heart by the film’s two leads, Jacob Wysocki (Terri) and Matt O’Leary (Brick), it writhes with the anguish, fury, and ecstatic energy of coming of age in today’s world. The cast is rounded out by a surprisingly tender performance from Billy Campbell (The Killing). The result is funny, heartbreaking, exhilarating, and devastating, just like growing up.

Twenty pages into K.L. Going’s book by the same name, Lillard picked up the phone to buy the movie rights. It took him nine years to find a way to make the film. We at Rooftop are glad he did, and we think you will be too.

Rooftop Films is a New York based non-profit whose mission is to engage diverse communities by showing independent movies in outdoor locations, producing new films, coordinating youth media education, and renting equipment at low cost to artists.